Stealth Wealth (Explained)
They say to live happy, live hidden. Something you're not yet aware of is happening in the markets, and the implication it has will most likely impact you. Rich people are changing their behaviors to accommodate the current moment in time, and the average person isn't aware of what's happening because you won't see it in public unless you know exactly what to look for. Some call it quiet luxury, silent money, but most refer to it as stealth wealth. By the end of this video, you'll understand why the rich are going into stealth mode.
Let's do this. Welcome to A Lux. So, what is stealth wealth? Stealth wealth is the art of being secretly rich, not in the sense of hiding it from the authorities or anything, but just not displaying it publicly. Even more so, trying to blend in with the public as much as possible while maintaining a high level of comfort. This happens across multiple industries as wealthy consumer behavior changes through time.
Rich people are more in tune with how the markets are behaving than anyone else. The same way a good farmer prepares for a longer winter, the rich can also read the signs of a recession and make adjustments accordingly. This is one of the main differences between the truly wealthy and those who are just trying to pose as wealthy. You are truly rich when you don't care about impressing others with your wealth.
Stealth wealth is a way of being wealthy amongst the wealthy, not among civilians. Truly rich people know that the commodities that are designed to signify wealth will rob you of actual wealth: the Bugattis, the Lambos, the mansions, the opulent parties, the big logo clothes. They're all simple ways to extract wealth from those called new money. As an Alexa, every day you'll have to make a decision: Do I want to actually get wealthy or do I just want other people to think I'm wealthy? Stealth wealth focuses on the first category.
So, when is stealth wealth becoming prominent? Well, there are people out there who've lived their entire lives in stealth wealth mode, and we'll address all the benefits of behaving like this in a minute. But there are moments in time where the majority of wealthy individuals choose to alter the way they use their wealth. In times of recession, stealth wealth starts to show up a lot more. It was obvious in 2001, it showed up again after 2007, and you can bet it's happening again now for the real world and even into the media.
But why does this happen? Well, in times of financial struggle, people are angry at those who still have money. They see the wealthy as the problem to their financial situation. Why should you have something I no longer have through no fault of my own? So why do rich people no longer display their wealth? Well, here are the benefits of stealth wealth:
Genuine relationships and experiences. People alter their persona according to the status that they believe you hold. This has always happened and it always will. Now, while most newcomers use public displays of wealth to scream, "Look at me! I'm special! Look how well I'm doing!" because they need the extra attention, the true wealthy want to blend in to get as close to authenticity as possible.
The larger the status gap between you and the other parties, the harder it'll be to connect emotionally and genuinely. People will no longer assume that you're evil. People don't know you, so they judge the book by the cover. We're living through it right now. "Eat the rich" has been a common slogan for the leftist ideology since forever.
The luxury bag, the expensive car, the tailored suit, the gold watch—they aim to indicate that you must be doing something evil because, in their mind, nobody gets to the top without using others as a ladder. Going into stealth wealth mode shields you from that. It avoids uncomfortable conversations. The moment others notice that you have money, they want you to share it with them. Old acquaintances or family members will come out of the woodwork and ask for money or favors. These are awkward conversations to have, even if you do care about the relationship.
The fewer people who see your wealth, the fewer will ask for their unearned piece. Your old friends won't feel like you're putting pressure on them. Silent wealth allows you to be who you really are with no other social expectations. As humans, we like to benchmark our lives based on the people around us. Although you and most of your old friends do have equality of opportunity, you will not always have equality of outcome. Not all of you are going to grow at the same pace.
The moment you've lifted off, the gap between you starts to increase. Your success and your realizations are a constant reminder for them that they're falling behind. In this case, not displaying your wealth is an act of kindness that has the side benefit of not making wealth a part of the conversation. And it's also just safer out in the world.
In times of financial recession, like the ones that we're entering in now, crime usually skyrockets. In London, for example, it's no longer safe to display luxury brands, as muggings among the wealthy have become quite common. So much so that if you're shopping at a luxury store, they'll no longer let you walk out holding a big brand bag. Believe it or not, they'll literally put your Chanel or Hermes bag into a grocery shopping bag just so thieves are not going to target you on the street.
It's gotten so bad that the government is now buying advertising on the streets of London warning people to no longer wear their expensive pieces. Moped crime and stabbings are more common because thieves are willing to risk more because the jewelry is more expensive. So instead of flashy logo-centered products, rich people start wearing less recognizable high-tier brands because they still want the comfort and quality of luxury products without the threat of being robbed.
The first change you start to see is platinum becoming more predominant among the super rich. This happens because platinum reads similarly to silver, which is cheaper than yellow gold, and you're less likely to draw attention. Here are a couple of quiet luxury fashion brands that rich people prefer: And John Lope.
These are really expensive brands, but you wouldn't know it by looking at them. Mark Zuckerberg's boring gray t-shirts are actually by Brunello Cuccinelli and cost about 400 a pop. Other billionaires do it too. The sweater might be simple, but it's usually cashmere. Gone are the days of the Dior tote bag or the Gucci backpack, as both of them are seen as obnoxious. Logomania is over; silent luxury is key.
And what car you drive also changes. Driving around in your million-dollar-plus supercar has become a liability. Dangerous thieves will literally take a hammer to your Bugatti in order to rob you. So the rich switch to the Volvo XC90, Toyota Land Cruiser, Lexus LX, the Volkswagen Atlas, or an older model Range Rover that's been carefully maintained. These are all really luxurious and fairly expensive cars, but they don't draw attention the same way because, as we established earlier, wealth isn't about other people but about yourself.
There's an important metaphor somewhere here about how life isn't about the outside; it's what's inside that surely matters. And we get it, when you're early in your journey, you want the flashy pieces. You want the flashy car because you want to signal to the world that you've arrived, that you've made something of yourself, that you've gotten to a point in life where all the holes left in your desires you had when you were young can now be filled.
The truth is, though, once you go into any luxury store and you can buy yourself anything you want, the magic is no longer there. Your identity shifts with time. Stealth wealth allows you to be who you are. Grabbing a beer with friends who like you for you is 1,000 times better than a fancy dinner with people you pretend to like.
Stealth wealth provides you with three essential elements to life: peace of mind, freedom of time, and freedom to choose. These are some of the cornerstones that rich people build around. It took us years in private circles to narrow down the exact paths to get there, and you can learn how to do it too. We spent hundreds of thousands of dollars paying the same coaches the super rich use to put it all into actionable formats available to everyone at a fraction of the cost.
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It's altering the way you move from life. From a practical perspective, it won't be long before concepts like privacy become a part of who you are. Deep down, we all realize that how much money you have or make is something private because it has the power to alter the relationship. In higher-end circles, flaunting your money and saying how much money you have in your bank account is actually a sign of insecurity.
In times of recession, all wealth goes stealthy, including the charitable part: stealth giving. People giving to charitable causes in private. Donations are made behind closed doors and without the opulence that used to typically surround it. Spending half a million dollars on a gala to raise funds doesn't really read very well when others are struggling. If people see you giving money away, they'll overwhelm you with requests, so it's best to keep it private.
Isn't it funny how the more you display your wealth, the less peaceful your life becomes? If there is one key takeaway to walk away from this piece, it's this: If you want peace, be silently wealthy. But we're curious to know, Alexa, if you had 100 times more money than you have now, would you be able to keep it silent or would there be signs? Let us know in the comments because keeping it a secret might actually be harder to pull off than you think.
And as a thank you for watching this video until the end, of course, we're bringing you a bonus. It's not what you wear, but how you wear it. True wealth doesn't care what you think about them; only pretenders do. If you're a fan of the TV show Succession on HBO, you might have seen the first episode of season four, and there's a key moment where silent luxury is perfectly explained by Tom making fun of a size Burberry bag.
An innocent soul brought into a private party, she brought with her her two thousand nine hundred dollar bag because she was trying to fit in. But truly rich people don't bring large bags to parties; they have no need to bring anything with them as they have staff on the ready. They've got drivers that can bring things to them if they need it.
The ultra-wealthy don't need to take care of their personal brand on how they present themselves because, once again, there's no need to impress anyone when you really do have it. The mistake in this situation isn't actually the bag; it's how one wears it. This is the deeper lesson to be learned. A bag is a bag; it's all in the attitude. It's all in how important these items are to you.
Buy yourself the luxury items if you want them, but don't let them change your behavior because you have them. Most of the time, knowing that you can afford it is more than enough. You don't actually need to spend the cash. Now, we hope more of you process this idea of quality of brand, that staying silent is actually richer than being loud; that stealth wealth will become a part of who you are.
Now, if this made sense to you, please write the word "silent" in the comments. Let's see how many of you have found value in this. Thanks for spending some time with us today, Alexa. We're so glad you did. If you found value in today's video, please give us a like, hit that bell icon to never miss an upload, and hey, don't forget to subscribe.